A scene with Zeeshan Ayyub as college student Shiva playing the Hindu deity Mahadeva in a theatre production has been snipped. Viewers now see Zeeshan’s entry on stage as Mahadev amid cheers from the audience and the scene then abruptly shifts to police entering the campus to arrest a student.
A conversation depicting prime minister Devki Nandan Singh, played by Tigmanshu Dhulia, insulting Dalit leader Kailash Kumar, played by Anup Soni, had also been edited. A dialogue referencing caste between Soni’s character and Sandhya Mridul’s Sandhya has been shortened as well.
Tandav, which features Saif Ali Khan, Dimple Kapadia and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub in lead roles, has faced incessant backlash after BJP leaders called for a ban alleging the show mocked Shiva and hurt the sentiments of Hindus. Several complaints have been filed seeking action against the show, including criminal complaints before courts in Delhi and Bihar and FIRs in Lucknow’s Hazratganj Kotwali and Madhya Pradesh.
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